Ban live animals as prizes says council

The request follows a Motion passed at a recent Council meeting on 24 July 2023.

In his letter, Cllr Knowles, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “Harborough District Council like many other local authorities, has taken the decision to ban live animals as prizes on our own land but I believe the legislation does not go far enough to prevent unnecessary welfare issues to animals. The current legislation, The Animal Welfare Act (England and Wales) 2006, does not forbid giving live animals as prizes unless they are given to unaccompanied children, which is different to Scottish legislation where it is an offence to offer or give an animal to another person as a prize (whatever their age), except where it is offered in a family context. The Animal Welfare Act (England and Wales) 2006 should be amended to provide the same controls as in Scotland.

“Harborough District Council recognises that local bans on Council land have not been tested in law and there remains a risk that some aggrieved customer may seek to challenge the legality of our decision, but an outright ban of live animals would remove any risk.”